Premier McKeeva Bush, while denying responsibility for limited public discussions of Cayman-UK relations, on Wednesday in the LA accused iNews Cayman editor Colin Wilson of “jump[ing] on the misinformation bandwagon”.

Dismissing allegations that he had truncated the time allowed to gather public views on formal UK-Cayman arrangements, the premier said Mr Wilson had ”accused me of not telling the country about the public consultation until the 11th hour,” an inaccuracy, he went on, that “distorts what really happened”.

Agreeing that the consultation had been too short, Mr Bush offered the public a version of events blaming London’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) for insufficient notice.

Referring to MP Henry Bellingham, responsible for British possessions abroad, Mr Bush said he should be blamed: “If the Minister for the Overseas Territories is telling me on September 16th that he wants responses from a consultation process that includes as many people of the Cayman Islands as possible by November 18th, how is that my fault?

“It was not until the 27th of September that Minister Bellingham publicly announced the consultation process,” he said. “I trust that demonstrates that neither was I in a position to determine the timing of this consultation process, nor was I in a position to advise the public about it any sooner than it was done. The whole process was controlled by the FCO, not me, not my government.”

He accused both Mr Wilson and Leader of the Opposition Alden McLaughlin of “misleading the country”, saying the former was guilty of “gross misrepresentation” and latter sought to “undermine people’s confidence” in government.

Replying, Mr Wilson rejected the criticism, saying the offending editorial had been ‘aimed at all the sitting members of the LA who promise transparency and open government”, and quoting United Democratic Party MLA Ellio Solomon saying “people have a right to know”.

“Why didn’t Mr Bush make known his disappointment at the [FCO’s consultation] timetable?” Mr Wilson asks in today’s editorial. Had Mr Bush announced earlier that he was “still fighting to push back the date for agreement to June 2012, I would have applauded him,” he writes.

In his LA speech, the premier rejected Mr Wilson’s charges that his administration had been “secretive”, and dismissed similar 10 November statements by North Side MLA Ezzard Miller.

He cited “1,366 Freedom of Information requests“ since June 2009, 50% of which were granted, and “84 press releases from my office” since February 2010, “several press conferences and several public statements”.

“We may not always give Mr. Wilson the information he wants by his deadline, but we do make information available to the public,” he said. “All I ask is if someone is going to criticise the government, then at least get the facts straight.”

Responding, Mr Wilson says the premier “has known me a long time and should know better — I have never ever distorted facts. I have made mistakes,” he admits, but had always apologised.

Turning the charges back, Mr Wilson accuses the premier of distorting the dates of various meetings and newspaper stories, wondering how, according to Mr Bush, iNews had published Mr Milller’s remarks a week before he made them.

Finishing his Wednesday LA address, Mr Bush said he sought to involve as many people as possible in the consultation, and promised the Cayman report would reflect broad public opinion at this week’s Overseas Territories Conference in London.

“I will also venture to state that the various strategies employed to communicate with the Caymanian populace are unrivaled within the Overseas Territories.

“We will push for a true partnership,” he said, seeking “a definition of principles and a timeframe for an agreement.

“We do our utmost for the betterment of Cayman, and we have no fear of accountability for the service we render.”